Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Gears Ground

George Vonn King Jr.
Wat. Nineteen-year-old George Vonn King Jr. was Tased five times, sedated. City prosecutors determine he died of "natural causes."* If only there was some way to record interactions between police and citizens...

So, apparently in spite of whatever lip service they've offered up in the past SRB and Batts are fighting police cameras tooth and nail, arguing that the city council doesn't have the authority to force them on the police department. Admin's lawyer: "you can argue all you want." Meanwhile I got a long message from a purported cop about this--
"listen i know we have bad cops out there. I want them gone just as much as the next. i was born and raised in this city and a cop myself. cameras on cops will not fix the problem in this city. cameras are going to make the good cops like myself a robot for many reasons. just because a camera is on it will not change a cop who has a bad adjective. He will just find other ways to get the job done." 
Oh, okay, so retail stores, banks, etc. shouldn't be able to train cameras on the till even if $5.7 million goes missing, because the "bad" employees will just figure out another way to steal? If cameras are such an outrage, where was the mayor's office as we all became subject to license-plate scanning technology, when our tax money was frittered away on hundreds of (apparently worthless) surveillance cameras all over the city, and that time we all became test subjects for military drones? Also total bullshit: the claim that it'll cost $7 million to equip the city's 2000-something officers with cameras-- that's about 10 times more than the companies that make the cameras claim they cost, 10 times more than other jurisdictions claim to pay. And even if cameras do cost $7 million, so what? That's sofa-cushion change compared to the largesse this administration has ladled out to developers (eg. $393 million for Harbor Point*), a veritable Starbucks tip compared to the ridiculous overtime costs and other hinky business police stick us with.

In East Baltimore, a "torture house." The Sun has helpfully included a selection of Tweets if you want to share this information with your "social networks."

Ps. If you missed the 10+-something hours of Frank M. Conaway Jr. rambling on like a lunatic before he took them down,* a helpful citizen set up a mirror site.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

                       Mid October Baltimore Crime Blog Update


Around the Horn:

Police have identified a suspect in the Fells Point murder of popular waitress Claudia Parodi, unfortunately, the suspect is no where to be found and is presumed to have absconded into Mexico.

Two men are given Life plus some change for the quasi-gang related yet simultaneous cold blooded and random murder of 12-year-old Sean Johnson.  

Cradle robbing accused murderer Michael McCarthy, age 52 has been charged with homicide in regards to the death of his 28-year-old "Girlfried" Tieisha Wilson.

The Federal Courts have had there hands full of Baltimore criminals, announcing a sentence of 11 years for 43-year-old Antonio Rennard Gilliam after he robbed some Towson businesses, a 10 year bid for 27-year-old coke dealer Kevin Gerard Wyche, and a hefty 30 year visit to the pen for Dundalk armed robber John Joseph Wilson, age 54.

The murder of MTA driver Craig Ray made headlines earlier this year, but it would seem that yet again, the public pressure had caused the BPD to charge a man without sufficient evidence to convict. Thus, former murder suspect Kevin Carroll has had all of his charges dropped in regards to the "loud noise" shooting death of Craig Ray. 

A fella got popped in the knee Saturday morning. 

A big time cross cross country drug conspiracy bust occurred this week, with area crime lord Kedrick Arnold Jenifer and eight of his associates indicted federally on a bevy of drug related crimes. Mr. Jenifer has becoming notorious as of late due to his ownership of a fells point Rita's Italian Ice Shop which was used to launder money. And to a lesser degree, he's received attention thanks to his criminal group participating in a 2012 murder.

Since this is a very change of pace post, I thought I would offer up something not seen before in the Baltimore crime blog; that is, a brief summary of all major or noteworthy arrests during a certain period. All cases can be searched in the Maryland Judiciary Case Search, and if readers are interested in the continuation, please make your voices heard. 

Summary of Notable Arrests from 10/20/14 to 10/25/14 in Baltimore City and County


Indictments from 10/13/14 to 10/18/14 City

Name:                              Year of Birth                               Charge        


Arica Leonard                       1999                                Att. 1st Degree Murder
Kaiya Bryant                         1997                               Armed Robbery
Arquis Latimer                       1997                             Armed Robbery
Richard Turner                       1997                            Armed Robbery
Dominique Tillman                  1996                            2nd Degree Murder
Quantay Young                      1995                            Carjacking
Michael Matthews                 1992                            Armed Robbery
Maurice Jones                       1992                            Armed Robbery
Devon Brockington               1991                            Att. 1st Degree Murder
Sheniqua Allen                      1991                             Carjacking
Milton Brown-Bey               1990                             Armed Carjacking
Derek Harvey                      1989                            Armed Robbery
Michael Gambrell                 1989                          Armed Carjacking
Jermain Jackson                   1985                            Murder 1st Degree
Marcelle Graham                 1985                           Armed Robbery
Edwin Harris                       1984                           Att. 1st Degree Murder
Willie Jones                         1984                           Att. 1st Degree Murder
Marvin Gaye*                     1981                          Assault 2nd Degree
Sean Means                        1980                          Armed Robbery
Michael Paschall**             1979                           Assault 2nd Degree
Johnnie Taylor                     1978                          Att. 1st Degree Murder
Daniel Hill                           1974                         Armed Robbery
Michael Hamilton                1968                       Murder 1st Degree
Steven Bartell                     1967                         Armed Robbery
Kenneth Harrod                 1966                       Armed Robbery
Michael McCarthy             1962                       Murder 1st Degree
Alva Parsons                      1934                      Sexual Abuse of a Minor

Indictments from 10/13/14 to 10/18/14 County

Ryan Knight                           1991                        Att. 1st Degree Murder
Darryl Brooks                        1983                        2nd Degree Rape
Lucas Tormollan***               1994                       Att. 1st Degree Murder


Notes:

* = Noteworthy due to sharing name with famous musician
** = Area renowned Middleweight boxer and related to Paschall family members indicted by MD DOJ
*** = Indicted in time frame after initial lower charge






Wednesday, September 17, 2014

All Right, Fine

Here's a digest of what's been up lately for you non-Facebook-having people.

City officer Vincent Cosom was caught on tape cold clocking victim Kollin Truss in the face for no apparent reason at a North Avenue bus stop; the clip went national, Cosom got suspended with pay two months after the incident.*

Police are ISO this guy for robbing a convenience store on Pulaski Highway and beating a customer with a bottle. Also robbed: a business in Canton and a bunch of other poor decent souls in the Southeast.

Meanwhile, at Hopkins Homewood: "Two female undergraduate students were approached by an unknown male about 30 years of age who asked one of them what kind of shirt she was wearing then grabbed the back of the shirt to see what size it was. The male left the cafe and returned about 15 minutes later and offered to take pictures of them at his apartment. When his offer was declined, he said "Don't be scared. I won't chop you up in pieces." ... because that is totally what someone who won't chop you into pieces would say.

The kid curfew went into effect last month and officers scooped up 120 wayward yutes.*

That lawsuit against Carol Ott was dismissed.

Unshockingly, officer Jeffrey Bolger, one of two officers accused of slitting a shar-pei's throat wants the case dismissed.* Less unshockingly his lawyers have requested this by means of an open letter to Gregg Bernstein.

Police finally caught Davon Wallace, suspected of killing 3-year-old Knijah Bibb in PGC while trying to shoot his girlfriend's brother who borrowed his clothes without permission.

Local nutcase/Republican candidate for sheriff David Anthony Wiggins went on a rant about "Jew women" and "white liberal bullshit."

Ray Rice. Fun fact: even though the Ravens have had 17 players arrested since 2000 they're not even in the top 10 of the teams with the most arrests. And, shockingly, the NFL's arrest rate is actually lower than the national average.

Chris Davis got suspended for 25 games for using Adderall and lifted a flipped truck.

Justin Fenton and Ian Duncan are upset that Young Moose's raps are being used against him* in his gelcap-slinging trial. If the simile you use for "posted" is "like some posters" maybe stick to your day job.

Gerald Wiseburg
This guy was allegedly running a Lutherville pill mill and he looks pretty darn happy about it.

A lady was robbed at gunpoint by the Roland Park water tower.

The City Paper's "Best Of" issue is out, confusing as usual with its convoluted praise, double negatives and latent sarcasm. Por ejemplo, the Hennessey Heist won "best burglary," Dan McIntosh of the Nicka Conspiracy scored "best sentence" and Judge Motz's inaction on our leaky sewers got "best block."

A terrifying piece on NPR detailed the cellphone spyware that domestic abusers can use to stalk their victims. Pull quote: "The strategy of offenders is to have complete and utter domination and control of their victims."


And O'Malley cosplay'd on a horse.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Wiziging It Up





A memorial for murdered Mia Henderson will be held today at 1 in Charles Village.

Thirty-five years for 26-year-old Davon Martin, allegedly part of the "Little Spelman" gang that ran a "crack shop" in "Cherry Hill," 151 months for cocaine dealer Travis Gaines

Baltimoreans rallied to protest the horrifying paramilitary occupation* of Ferguson, MO, and David Simon wrote an "open letter" to the Ferguson Police Department, and at Stoop Storytelling ol' FHBIII talked about busting up Occuppy. Anonymous had its Twitter account suspended after releasing the wrong officer name and photo. Whoops!

One Tyree Threatt was arrested for a robbery that happened while he was in jail.* Whoops!
Jessica Maranto and Brandon Johnson

Horrible parents left a malnourished six-year-old in a room at the Welcome Inn in Loch Raven.

A settlement conference has been scheduled for property flipper Scott Wizig, a flipper so insidious his name has become a verb and talking to him makes reporters yearn for a bleach bath. (“We didn’t feel truly clean until we scrubbed off the first two layers of skin.”)

The commander of the homicide unit has been replaced* by the former homicide commander.

The new chair of the liquor board, Tom Ward, is reportedly one can-do muthafucka.

The governor of Maine called bullshit on Ray Rice's suspension.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Butt Chugging in Knoxville

Maryland's ban on assault weapons was upheld by a federal judge. Here's the full ruling via Ian Duncan. Said the plaintiffs, argle bargle, argle bargle.

A man was found dead in a car in Clifton Park* and a man was shot on N. Pulaski St on the West side.

An accident with a police cruiser at Frankfort and Plainfield injured six.

Carjacking/shooting victim Guy Jackson is suing the police after they seized him from shock trauma, questioned him and then released him on the street in a hospital gown with a bullet hole in his face.

Two separate federal cases have been thrown out due to the BPD's "credibility issues."

φκα

So the Federal Dept of Ed has opened an inquiry into the whole JHU gang-rape-at-Pi-Kappa-Alpha (aka Pike) situation. Pike's previous claims to fame include shooting a pledge with a pellet gun in Berkeley, killing a pledge in Illinois, getting banned from UVA for making pledges bite an onion and "butt chugging" in Knoxville.

Morgan Arnold, who's somewhere on the spectrum and was 14 when she allegedly conspired with her boyfriend to murder her dad, will be tried as an adult.* Three weeks before the killing she wrote in her journal, "Today, all I could hear was the sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing. It's insane and it's sick that I like those sounds." Or it means you'd make a great charcutier.


Ethan Estevez
In HarfCo terrifying-looking teacher Ethan Estevez is accused of plotting with a student to kill his wife so he could keep boning her.* Texted the student, "Like it has to look like an accident because of life insurance and stuff."

Since we've been gone...
Two three-year-olds were shot in two weeks, McKenzie Elliott and Knijah Bibb. Person-of-interest  Tyrone Jamison, 21, turned himself in on a probation violation (but hasn't been officially charged, it seems), one Davon Wallace, 25, was arrested for Bibb's.

Tyree Woodson, nabbed on a warrant, shot himself inside the Southwest district police station.

Some teenagers hijacked a school bus for fun

And Michael Vick advised Ray Rice to "try to make amends for what you've done."

Monday, July 14, 2014

Officer Asshole

The NIMBYs of Harwood are upset about a proposed addiction-treatment center.*  The neighborhood of Harwood's best-known citizen is/was Edna McAbier, who went into hiding after being firebombed in 2005 by the Bloods for reporting drug dealing. In other drugs news, after Reddit regurgitated that 2006 USA Today piece claiming that 60,000 Baltimoreans are addicts Ian Duncan settled the score yet again-- it's only like 11,000- 20,000 addicts you guyze (depending on how you define it). 

We're up to 104 murders.

Local scribe D. Watkins has a new piece in Salon reviewing The Fault in Our Stars. JK! The piece is "Gunplay is All I Know" and is why he'd "rather be caught with a gun than without one." (Best lines: "[Free] was a 40-something-year-old dude who loved ladies, and greasy chicken cheese steaks with extra provolone from Mama Mia’s." and "within a few years, Officer Friendly turned into Officer Asshole.")
Jimmy Smith

Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith was arrested * for interfering with Emergency Services at the Greene Turtle in Towson and beamed in his mug shot. The Sun reports this is the 5th arrest of a Raven this offseason.

Want to watch a @BaltimorePolice sarge Jarron Jackson get Tased® for training purposes?

Want to watch the video Fealicia "Snoop" Pearson took while hanging out with 12'O Clock boy Pug?

Still not at peace with the recent election?
Luke Broadwater dug into the Bernstein/Mosby numbers and found that the vote was less along racial lines this election than last time.* In other words, while white ppl and black ppl showed out for Bernstein last election the white people in particular didn't really show for him his time, and Bernstein actually picked up some support in some black neighborhoods.
There's some comfort in the numbers for Mizeur supporters, she did quite well in the city. 
From Cham and Broadwaters' #'s: 69716 total votes, Brown got 36742(53%), Mizeur got 20062(29%) and Gansler got 11431(16%). Ms. Mizeur pretty much took the 1st, 6th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 23rd and 27th Wards.


Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Mosby Defeats Bernstein!

Anthony Brown, the man who misplaced $90 million, secured the gubernatorial nomination, and Heather Mizeur walked down a long hall. The sitting judges kept their seats, for now. Brian Frosh beat Mr. Boat Proposal. And in an upset that few-- least of all the incumbent-- saw coming, Marilyn Mosby beat State's Attorney Gregg Bernstein, with 1/4th of the cash and zero management experience. What the heck happened? As the Brew opines, Mosby's path was actually pretty similar to Bernstein's: take on an over-confident incumbent, seize on the outrageous stories that pique interest, rack up endorsements, sympathize with victims eye-to-eye. I wonder if Jayne Miller's girlfriend will get her job back now?

Speaking of criminals, the two who were running-- Don "Delegate Drinky Dranky" and Julius Henson, both lost.

Two were arrested for the shooting on Monastery (I think they mean 6/22)-



Ashani John Salmon
A very short man named Ashani John Salmon is sought in connection with the shooting at Peju's Kitchen and Lounge in Gwynn Oak, call police if you see him.

Police are looking for whomever assaulted Kyndyl Fauntleroy as he left the Arabian Nights Hookah Lounge on Light Street this past Sunday.
Nicholas Ishmael

A police cadet, one Nicholas Ishmael, aged 20, has been charged with stealing hillbilly heroin from the county evidence vault. And stealing cash. Two of his cousins also face drug charges. Tsk!

Depressing: 62 percent of SWAT raids are ISO drugs, and 36 percent of raids recover no contraband of any kind.

Well, that's nice, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled today that police can't search the cellphones of people they arrest without a warrant.

Big pimpin leads to big arrestin. Five alleged pimps were arrested yesterday, one in Baltimore county and four in PGC. Oh, and they were pimping children.

One Derrick James Jackson was arrested in the county for brandishing a gun* during a road rage incident on 695. So, wonder what happened to the New Jersey cop road-rager Detective Joseph Walker? Haven't heard anything about that case since February.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

'Brassiere, Queer, and Volunteer'





Happy election day! Seems as good a time as any to revisit Jon Cardin's Coast Guard proposal,* the $90 million Anthony Brown lost* trying to implement our health-care exchange and Doug Gansler's teen booze party* caught on video. Me, I'm voting for the lesbian with the fangs.

The pregnant woman beaten to death in Rosedale was identified as Summer Smith. The Sun's original Facebook teaser stated that Smith's own mother was a suspect, but references to that appear to have now been scrubbed.

Friends are perplexed as to how Daniel Waldhaus of Shelton, Connecticut, wound up murdered in a car in Baltimore.*

New faces at the Liquor Board-- O'Malley bucked the patronage system to appoint 87-year-old Judge Tom Ward, perhaps best known previously for restraining a criminal in Bolton Hill,* and lawyer Dana Moore, whose law firm represents "Texas-based Scott Wizig, the target of an $8 million suit by six community groups who allege that he (or entities he controls) owns 57 vacant, dilapidated properties."

Tyrone West
Tyrone West's family has filed a lawsuit, and revealed that the same officers who killed him had beaten motorist Abdul Salaam* three weeks prior, for failing to buckle his child's seat belt. Salaam has joined the suit.

Timothy Virts pleaded "not criminally responsible" to murder and kidnapping charges, his lawyer says he's criminally insane. He and his daughter Caitlyn were found at the Colonial Inn in Florence, South Carolina.

A pizza delivery driver was stabbed in Essex.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

El Killer

An unidentified male victim found shot to death* in the first block of S. Monastery Ave. near New Cathedral Cemetery at around 2 a.m. today.

Marilyn Mosby's campaign dug up the rather unsettling story of Janice Bledsoe, a former assistant state's attorney (and girlfriend of WBAL's Jayne Miller) who was fired rather suspiciously by Gregg Bernstein while investigating an illegal-police-overtime case against officers Robert Quick and Ian Dombrowski. The accusation is that Bernstein and Quick were friends, and Bernstein cleared Quick even though the evidence against him was straightforward.* "Bernstein represented Quick when he was sued by the family of Larry J. Hubbard Jr., who was shot by Officer Barry Hamilton after police said Hubbard tried to grab Quick's gun during a frantic scuffle in East Baltimore in 1999. Hubbard was shot in the back of the head, and some witnesses disputed the police account, saying Hubbard was beaten and shot in cold blood." Hm. And, reports Jayne Miller, in the past week Quick was suspended.

After a week in which police shot a steer and an officer slit the throat of a subdued Shar-Pei mix dangling from a control pole, police revealed that they'd stopped ordering animal tranquilizers because of some unnamed problem with the supplier.* They're now re-evaluating. The steer and dog stories have made national and international news, officers Jeffrey "I'm going to fucking gut this thing" Bolger and Thomas Schmidt have been suspended, and SRB, fully aware that you can get away with anything around here but messing with people's dogs, apologized all the way from Dallas.

Eric P. Henry
Brian Reiser, 49, was killed in Arbutus and his body was dumped in one of our city's many vacants.* Three men, Kevin Pendergraph, Roy Munson and Eric Henry, have been charged, and boy are they weird-looking.

Also in AAC a woman was robbed while waiting in line to check out at a store.

A 33-year-old pregnant woman was found dead of injuries in Rosedale.

Four Hyattsville men-- Hector Daniel Villanueva-Cortez, aka Muertito, 24; Roni Arriola-Palma, aka Maniako, 24; Luiz Guzman-Ventura, aka Casper or Chele, 20; and Jose Rodriguez-Nunez, aka El Killer, 25, have been charged with criminal conspiracy, they're allegedly tried to the MS-13 gang.

Have you heard of a device called a 'stingray'? Supposedly it tricks mobile devices into thinking it's a cell tower, and emails show U.S. Marshalls conspiring with police to deceive judges about the use of them to avoid legal scrutiny. 

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

True-To-Life Replica

Eric Harris, shot by police, was carrying a "true-to-life replica gun,"* police say.





SRB served up some pleather shrug realness at the Netflix/White House correspondent's party and in a Vanity Fair slideshow as one of the "Best Dressed Mayors." The Brew, in an uncharacteristically shallow and sexist turn, covered her coverage and weight loss then covered itself by noting that such coverage can "evoke cries of sexism." Also cries of lazy. Why not find out who made that dress and how much it cost? (It's like Herve Leger but bondage-ier. Johnathan Sauders Fall 2009?) How can she afford this stuff on a public servant's salary?

Four years after endorsing Gregg Bernstein the BPD says it's "neutral" on the State's Attorney's race.* Hrm. And speaking of, probably predictably, the Sun has endorsed Anthony Brown,* because Heather Mizeur "goes too far" and Brown has the "right priorities." Translation: Brown is going to win this thing and we don't want to lose access or have bad blood at the State House. Plus if we endorse Mizeur and Brown wins then the politicians might realize that the paper actually has very little influence any more.


Another day, another set of "residents troubled" by Canton assault-robberies.

The liquor board has a new chief, and he's 87(!!). You go, great-grandpa.

You'll never guess-- or maybe you will-- how much more Maryland spends per prisoner versus how much per public school student. Or maybe you will.

Friday, June 13, 2014

"James"

"James"
A man was shot in the head* at Caroline and East Biddle Streets. Eight murders this past week.

Kevin Simpson, alleged killer of Oscar Torres, 15, and Shanizya Taft, 12, is now a suspect in the murder of Martel Jackson,* shot behind a Citgo.

Police have released a sketch of a Belair-Edison sex assailant who may go by "James." His victim talked to Fox, telling them "James" left his clothes outside her window, broke in and sucked on her breast. He went outside to dress and she called 911, but police didn't arrive in time. *shudder*

One Alphonso Russell Jr., 57, has been charged with 88 counts related to breaking into more than 20 cars downtown,* "just days after he received a 6-month jail sentence for breaking into cars on April 4." So.. what was he doing out and about in the first place? Some kind of Piper Kerman situation where you get sentenced but don't have to report to prison for a while?

So much for speed camera reform: Brekford, which still operates in Hagerstown, Salisbury and Laurel in spite of its Baltimore City system* issuing speeding tickets to cars that weren't moving, issued a press release crowing that their old contract still applies and that they can still operate on the bounty system for tickets.

Early voting is going on from now until June 19, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and apathy is running high. Here's your sample ballot. For what it's worth and if you care, this blog endorses Heather Mizeur for governor (or Hogan, if that's how you swing), Brian Frosh for Attorney General, Elijah Cummings, Gregg Bernstein for State's Attorney, and Page Croyder for Judge, skipping #5, Alfred Nance.

Media blabber: Sun editor Andy Rosen is leaving to work for the Boston Globe, today's his last day.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Peter Rottentail

Kevin Simpson
Four people were killed over the weekend, making 10 homicides in the first eight days of June. Per Justin Fenton, two have been ID'd: Ernest Barnes Jr., 24, was killed in the 2000 block of Prior Ave. and Jeffrey Ringgold, 29, was killed on Richwood Ave. Another as-yet-unidentified person was killed in the 2400 block of East Oliver Street, and on Friday afternoon a woman was found dead in the 3400 block of Reisterstown Road.

In case you missed it, Friday police arrested one Kevin Simpson,* who allegedly murdered 15-year-old Oscar Torres while robbing him and then later struck a minivan while trying to escape police (who were of course not high-speed chasing him at all), killing 12-year-old Shanizya Taft.



Police are ISO this guy (left) for a Catonsville bank robbery.

An armed carjacking in Ridgely's Delight.

AAC police caught a guy with a neck tattoo connected with 30+ car burglaries in Glen Burnie. Baltimore police have basically given up on even bothering to catch car burglars, it seems. Also in AAC, a burgled church.

More than 40 people were arrested in drug raids in St. Mary's County.

Police in College Park are ISO a stolen 6" bunny costume.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Harboring Suspicions

Gregg Thomas
Police: Murder victim Ricky Carlos Hall was a transgendered woman called "Kandy"* Hall died of massive trauma. Equality Maryland is meeting with the police tomorrow* to discuss the case.

Thirty-six people from three drug crews have been indicted on cocaine and heroin, including the six from the crew selling "Merecdes " and "fever" who were indicted earlier in the week. Fourteen are still at large.

Gregg Thomas, the babyfaced public enemy #1 who turned himself in to WJZ's Rochelle Ritchie pleaded not guilty* police Sargeant Keith McNeill, who is still in the hospital.

SRB and Batts strolled around the Harbor with a large security detail to prove how safe it is.* Hyuk! :
Quit getting drunk and falling into the Harbor,* people.

What the heck?! The city spent $50,000 for an artist to paint a mural on rowhouses that are about to be demolished.

So this is what a BGF tag looks like.
Oh, and Anthony Brown was photographed in front of a stripper stage with a stripper on it at the Wynn hotel while at a shopping center convention in Vegas last year. But a classy stripper with a top hat and bow tie.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Sun Develops Gonads, Ovulates

Holy shit you guys, did you see the slams of Anthony Brown in the Sun today? Usually the Sun's opinions are hedged, bridled and given a shot of go-go juice before they go onstage, but their critiques of Brown have been heating up,* then yesterday someone replaced some editor's Preparation-H with Tiger Balm and today they're as are sore as a Tennessee horse. David Zurawik's takedown of Brown* is the hardest-hitting pan I've seen in a legitimate media source since Pete Wells went to Guy's American Kitchen and Bar, and the paper printed his answer to the health-care exchange question verbatim.*
     I've been a reporter, believe it or not, and the only reason you ever transcribe and print someone verbatim without prettying it up (and the only reason your editor would ever let you do that) is because you and your paper are thoroughly done with said someone. Because basically almost everyone sounds like a mutard verbatim, and no one will ever talk to you again if you print them full mutard. If you don't believe me, record yourself opining on any topic and transcribe it, you'll sound like Mr. Ed with a fishhook in your lip.
Get back to twerk!
   For what it's worth the Sun hasn't been softballing Gansler either, calling out his "sleek, well-fed look of upper-middle-class suburban privilege," a barb well-earned since he sent his kid to George Huguely IV*'s alma mater, a $34,1601-a-year school for aspiring date-rapists in a district so safe their schools don't even have recurring trash can fires or race riots. And they didn't gloss over the fact that Gansler dug himself deeper trying to explain that Bethany beach-house underaged ass-grinding teen-drinking party as being more acceptable because his progeny was a penis- toting American,* or that as Attorney General he doesn't need to take responsibility for other people's children (which would explain his continual employment of Carl Snowden, yet not why he keeps trotting out that poor 11-year-old sexually-molested girl every time he opens his beerhole. Isn't using some stock-photo model in public ads as "sexually molested girl" kind of molest-y in itself? Imagine her parents' surprise. "Oh look, a residual check! I wonder what Video Blocks used that adorable footage of Ashleigh playing that with that dinosaur for? OH MY GOD!!")
   Wait, what was my point?
   Could it be that Sun reporters and editors are just like us, tired of these entitled legacy candidates thinking they can roll in and that one beer and a beach house is enough for us to let them grind on our butts? Could the Sun really endorse Mizeur? Could she really win?
    Conventional wisdom (aka my Dad) says she has no chance. The Sun will never endorse her because the Tribune Corp would never allow it happen, she's not the establishment's person. Our rural jurors will never vote for her because she's a pro-pot lesbian. Dudebros and self-loathing ladies will hesitate to vote for any female candidate because deep down they've already concluded she's either too weak or too pushy. This is the Sun's last whinny before backing establishment candidate A or B.
  What do you think?

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Hot and Humid

Mitchell, via Twitter
Two people were shot and killed last night,* police have ID'd them as Chealyn "Che" Mitchell, 28 (3700 Reisterstown Rd); Dale Webb, 35 (2200 Brookfield Ave).

One Jason Michael Durham, 34, was murdered in Middle River.

"Fun" fact: Taser® use in the state has doubled over the past five years.

Apparently there's been major tension* between black and latino students at Digital Harbor High, possibly touched off by the murder of Oscar Torres. Report: "only seven out of more than 100 Latino students showed up to Digital Harbor High School on Friday because they feared they would be attacked by black students."

So the city council passed that youth curfew, to the howls of protestors. It won't take effect until August, though, because the city has to build said curfew centers.

Do you know any of these dudes arrested in an AAC prostitution sting?

Monday, June 2, 2014

Fever For The Flavor of Heroin

Four homicides this weekend, a man fatally stabbed in the 1800 block of N. Fulton last night, a man shot in the head in the 100 block of South Kossuth St., Patricia Lynn Harwood, age 50 was, stabbed to death at 40 Stockton St.,* Eric Howard, 47, shot in the back at 109 Denison St.

Remember when the BPD swept up 48 BGF members last fall? (or tried to, anyway?) Well, Ian Duncan has been on the grind to bring us the deets, which involve eight years of building cases, a shooting victim murdered* allegedly after reporting his robbery and shooting to the police and girlfriends and moms screening calls.*

Six guys were indicted and the BPD is ISO five more on charges of operating a heroin and cocaine ring in west Baltimore. The ring allegedly had its own brands, "Mercedes" and "fever."
ps., I just realized that I'm so old probably no one gets the reference to the title of this blog post.

Lynette Witherspoon
looks like Large Marge
One Lynette Witherspoon, biomom, abducted her six-month-old daughter Zynia, daughter was later found safe and unharmed. Eight-year-old Victor Wilson also went missing and was found. Neither case triggered an Amber alert, though, which is odd.

You'll need a shower after reading this article in the City Paper about child molestation and its apologists in Baltimore's Orthodox Jewish community.

Two more candidates for parents of the year: AAC's Brooke Michael and Michael May, who smoked K2 (aka Spice) and passed out with their 8-month-old in the car.

Speaking of kids, explain to me, please, why so many people (including ACLU) are so against youth curfews? "House arrest," really? "Infringing on parental rights?" Where was the ACLU when big government took away my right as a parent to serve my kids Scotch and cigars after a hearty meal? Anyway, final vote on the law is tonight.

A Catonsville mailman stole 20,000 pieces of mail.*

Christopher Tonjes, the mayor's IT director, has resigned amidst allegations that his office paid contractors for jobs* that may or may not have been done a). at all and b). by the people who were hired to do them.

Also tonight at 7 on MPT, another gubernatorial debate, and Brown is showing up to this one, They Say.

A new law is taking effect that bans the speed-camera bounty, which was already banned but something something loophole.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Kids, Puppies and Old People

Ever have one of those days where you just hate Baltimore and everyone in it? (Except for you, of course, dear reader). The city has been a horror show this week, with children, the elderly and taxpayers as the primary victims. Plus a puppy.

Latoya Skipwith
One Lucresha Mints ran over three people-- two-year-old Joshua Carter and Latoya Skipwith, 25, and 7-year-old Nevaeh Green-- on purpose, killing Carter and Skipwith.* Skipwith's boyfriend told WMAR that the three of them had been involved in a love triangle but "that was in the past." Three weeks before, Mints had been charged with beating a 12-year-old girl (!!), leaving her face looking like this
Update, Mints, who is a nursing assistant with two kids, is being held without bail.* Ps., according to the JIS, someone took out a Peace Order against her less than three weeks ago, probably related to the assault on the 12-year-old. Someone also attempted to take out a Peace Order against her in 2011 but was denied due to insufficient evidence. She's also been the complaintant in a few cases, including accusing one of her kids' dads of assault, accusing some lady of theft, assault and misuse of the telephone.

Shanizya Taft
Meanwhile, police are still looking for the man who shot and killed 15 or 16-year-old Oscar Torres and killed 12-year-old Shanizya Taft as he tried to flee from police. Police have not released a name or description of the suspect but are combing the car for clues.*





A 94-year-old woman and an 81-year-old man were robbed and pistol-whipped in the NE.

An Essex man got 60 years for stabbing his girlfriend, Janet Palasik, to death.

Poor Govans elementary was burgled three times in one week.*

Jackasses stole 40 bikes from the Druid Hill bike share program and kicked a worker.*

LOL to this sitting judges ad. Hullo, none of the judges were judges before they were judges, being elected or appointed is how judges are made. Alfred Nance is who needs a skipping: he's been the subject of judicial investigations three times because of his "demeaning" treatment of female jurors,* ("During one jury selection, court transcripts show, he told a single woman "to stand up and let us see [you]. ... There may be a single guy out there.") had a woman handcuffed for saying "I love you," and unconstitutionally issued a gag order to Van Smith because he was a potential juror.

The mayor whooped it up in Vegas at a "legendary" party for 1,600 paid for by real estate developers and featuring showgirls plus a bucket of crabs marched in to the tweetelings of a fife and drum corps. In other news of the mayor spending other people's money, she's told city residents to buy homeowner's insurance* from a company the city has made a deal with in case the city's contractors can't lay the pipe without fucking shit up all to hell. Yet "City officials declined to provide a legal basis for why they believe homeowners could be stuck with bills if pipes break during a contractor's work." Somehow I think HomeServe is going to get the short end of this deal.



Departing city booze czar recounts the Liquor Board's most "outrageous" moments and potted-plant humping is involved. Meanwhile the board appears to be making up its own rules which (surprise!) make it harder for residents to complain about nuisance properties.